The present invention relates to an arrangement for cleaning containers in general, and more particularly to an arrangement of this type which is especially suited for use in cleaning drinking utensils of diverse shapes, such as tumblers and stemware.
The conventional arrangements for cleaning drinking utensils are usually constructed as two-stage cleaning arrangements including a pre-cleaning device and a final cleaning device. One construction of such previously proposed cleaning arrangement is disclosed in the German utility model patent DE-GM 75 23 176. In this construction, the pre-cleaning device and the final cleaning device are mounted on a common base plate or bridge which is equipped with suction cups, by means of which the combination cleaning apparatus can be attached to the bottom wall of a sink, usually in a bar or a similar establishment in which the volume of drinking utensils to be cleaned within a given period of time warrants the use of such apparatus.
The pre-cleaning device of this cleaning apparatus includes a cup or bowl shaped receptacle which carries at its inner surface a plurality of cleaning or scrubbing bristles which extend substantially radially inwardly toward a centrally located inner cleaning brush. The final cleaning device is arranged next to the pre-cleaning device and includes a centrally situated spraying assembly which is constructed as a pressure sprayer and operative for cleaning the internal surface of the respective container, and at least two jet tubes which are arranged substantially in parallel to the axis of the container being cleaned and are provided with a plurality of jet openings or nozzles which are in use aimed at the external surface of the container being cleaned for cleaning such surface. The central spraying assembly and the jet tubes extend in parallel to one another and to a predetermined direction, usually an upward direction, from a common support which includes a valve and distributor body.
Given the usual application of the cleaning apparatus of the above construction, it is usually constructed for use in cleaning, that is, scrubbing and rinsing, conventionally configurated beer glasses. The central spraying assembly which is constructed as a pressure sprayer has such a height that even if the relatively tall beer glasses which are sometimes used to serve certain kinds of beers, such as barley malts, are to be cleaned in this apparatus, they will not abut the base plate of the apparatus with their then downwardly situated rim portion. However, should it be attempted to use this apparatus and especially the final cleaning device thereof for cleaning stemware, such as beer glasses with stems as used for serving pilsner beer or wine glasses which also have stems, then the stem-shaped foot of the respective stemware container or utensil remains above the spraying range of the laterally arranged jet tubes and, consequently, is not subjected to the final cleaning or rinse. This can only be achieved in the conventional construction of the final cleaning device by making the central spraying assembly provided with the pressure sprayer so short or low that even the stem or foot of the stemware container moves into the spraying range of the laterally arranged jet tubes. However, this solution has the disadvantage that, when it is intended to use the so constructed final cleaning device also for cleaning relatively tall glasses and similar containers, in addition to stemware, the bottom wall of such a tall glass never reaches a position in which it depresses a valve tappet that controls the valve member controlling the admission of the pressurized cleaning liquid to the spraying assembly and to the lateral jet tubes. Hence, it was heretofore customary to use either extremely high final cleaning devices which are hardly suited for use in actual practice, for cleaning both the tall glasses or tumblers and the stemware containers, or different final cleaning devices for cleaning the tumblers, on the one hand, and the stemware containers, on the other hand, wherein the final cleaning device for the normal glasses or tumblers had a central spraying assembly extending to a considerable height into the space between the lateral jet tubes, while the final cleaning device for the stemware containers had a relatively short central spraying arrangement. It will be appreciated that both of these approaches result in an increased expense and available space requirements and reduced practicality and hence consumer appeal of the cleaning arrangement.